Friendship in the Name of Love
by amilauren
Summary: Before Bones became the charmer we all know and love, he had some lessons to learn. Rated M for occasional language and lemons later.
1. Chapter 1

**This fic has been beta'd by my lovely friend Sara, any errors still present are my own.**

**The Night Huntress world, and the events of Crispin's life belong to Jeaniene Frost, I'm just playing with them.**

* * *

**London, 1783.**

The cobbled streets of London were always so full of toffs. Toffs who turned their noses up at everything and everyone around them; nobody would ever be as good as they were, especially their own spouse. If you couldn't pay for outrageously expensive Panier dresses and Stays, those high-bred women thought lesser of you. Of course, this meant that us poor wretches had no place in their world. How did we ever survive by wearing petticoats and stays made with cheaper fabrics?_ Sigh. It always was a mystery. _The women would tell themselves every lie in the book if it would help them sleep at night. Their husbands, however, had other activities that helped them sleep at night.

Callista observed them all from her spot by the Thames. She watched them skate over its hard, icy surface, doing all manner of splendour to show off to one another, and she wished it to crack. She watched them week in and week out, alone, just as she'd been doing for the last thirteen years of her life. No matter the season, she was always watching; learning, just like her mum had told her. She would say, _"Cali, the way out of this mess is by learning from them. We've no place in their world, yet." _And of course, she couldn't forget her dying words._ "Do this for me. For your father and your sisters." _Shame she had never known her father, and that her 'sisters' were the other working girls. Such a shame that her mum had died eight years ago, with nary a thought about how her daughter would cope in the big, bad city.

Her watchfulness and the ghost of her mother did pay off. Over the years Callista had bought subtly better quality clothing, hadlearned to save and hoard money, and learned how to speak like the toffs. Among other perfections, she had almost perfected the art of behaving like them.

As a child skated purposefully towards her, Cali's thoughts were pulled back to the present, and for the first time she noticed the looks being bestowed upon her**;** revulsion, shame, anger, pity, curiosity; the usual. The child was now standing directly opposite her, so close that she could make out every wisp of red hair that escaped his hat, and could count the buttons on his tight little coat. Definitely close enough that she, and every person for a mile around heard every word of the little boy's small speech.

"We know what you are. We see you watching. If we were in York, my father would have you in chains for daring to look at me. You are filth," he spat, "so take your service elsewhere."

"What's your name, little boy?" He looked up at her, disgust making his small features stern. Which only made his silence more amusing. "Don't worry, I didn't really want to know. But**…**" She softened her voice until only he could hear. "**…**didn't your daddy ever tell you to watch out for us bad, bad folk? He should have, you know. You never can tell when we're about to strike." She accentuated it with a flick of her wrist at his coat, which sent him sprawling across the ice.

She turned and began walking into the crowds, away from the river, when the boy spoke up, almost sputtering with rage. The thought made her smile.

"My father will see you hanged for touching me!" Cali turned back and blew one kiss towards the boy, before kicking up her chin and disappearing into the crowd, dignity intact.

**~/~**

London was practically littered with alleyways; some cobbled, some that could almost pass for mud. After wandering in the crowds, Cali finally stepped out near her home. It damn sure wasn't one of the best places in town, but it wasn't one of the worst, either. Hey, the street even had an oil lamp.

In the daylight, the street was just another average working class district. When the sun went down, it was transformed into every drunk's fantasy. Drink, crime and women might have been out of fashion, but there was still plenty to go around. The rich, the married, the poor, the lonely, the bored and the horny all came to this place in search of anything to take their mind off of their lives. Ah yes, even the noble Lords came to us, and us to them.

Cali weaved through the alleyways until she found the non-descript back door of her home. As always, she was glad that the days of throwing piss and shit out of windows were over. Heh, mostly. Of course, there were still a few unfortunate victims.

Soon enough, the steps of her home were visible. She gathered her skirts at the waist, lifted them, and ascended the steps through the open door. As soon as she stepped inside, the giggling of girls could be heard, most likely gossiping about beginning another nights work. The girls were easily found, their eyes lit up and dancing with amusement and anticipation. Excited whispers could be heard from each girl, and each one Cali passed seemed to measure her.

Then Cali heard the woman's voice, telling yet another girl they weren't bringing in enough money. As was the norm in Lucille's bordello.


	2. Chapter 2

**This fic has been beta'd by my lovely friend Sara, any errors still present are my own.**

**The Night Huntress world, and the events of Crispin's life belong to Jeaniene Frost, I'm just playing with them.**

* * *

In one of the many rooms in the whorehouse, Crispin was still being yelled at by the Madame. It was the same thing he'd heard being said to different girls, when he used to listen to Madame Lucille rant and rave, but it was so different to be on the receiving end.

"...I know your mother has just died, but that's no excuse for sloppy work!" He crossed his arms and frowned at her. That really wasn't true. "The girls work their hardest to make ends meet, and it's about time you do the same, Crispin."

He opened his mouth to protest that no, he would not become a sodomite, when Lucille abruptly grasped his chin, forcing him to look at her. Then, as if she could read his mind, she sighed, loosening her grip.

"You wouldn't be forced into training for anything you wouldn't want to do. If you leave here, you'd be on your own, but if you'd rather stay on here, my girls will train you. It's your choice." She kept hold of his chin while she spoke, willing him to understand that she wanted him to stay. "Do you understand me, Crispin?"

His reply was stopped when three women came barrelling into the room.

**~/~**

The corridor was teeming with women and girls, all taking their own sweet time to walk away from fresh gossip, so close together that Cali impatiently pushed some out of her path. As Cali strolled through the crowd and towards the source of the gossip, she felt, rather than saw, the burning gazes from the girls. She continued to push her way through the girls, receiving a few pushes and curses, which she ignored in favour of walking closer to Lucille.

Just as she was about to turn the next corner, a hand shot out and pulled her into a room. The door slammed shut behind her, and she found herself trapped inside with Alyssa and Shona.

"And where the hell have you been all day? Lucille's been looking for you." That was Alyssa, always straight to the point. Then again, after working there for twenty years, she could afford to get straight to the point.

"She's got a job for you, Cali. She doesn't want us, any of us. Just you. We've been asking all day while you were out, but she never listens to me. And oh, you're soooo lucky..." That would be Shona, going on and on about the same thing. It was kind of nice to see that working there for four years hadn't changed her one bit. Cali just looked across to Alyssa, whose face was blank. Years of dealing with teenage girls made her immune to their ramblings, apparently.

Shona was still talking and whining. Whining about Lucille never paying any attention, how her life was unfair, how she never got to teach anybody, _of course she didn't, she could barely hold her own_, of how Cali had a job, about Penelope's son...

Cali put a hand up, silencing Shona. "Wait, what was that?"

Shona frowned, face screwed up as she exhaled in a long sigh**,** "You mean you didn't listen? Oh, wait, of course you didn't listen. None of you ever listen!" Working girl she may be, but she was still only 15. At my raised brow, she continued**,** "Well, you know how Penelope died like, two weeks ago? And her son's still here, but he's not bringing enough money in, so Lucille wants him out. But, like, he's so pretty, and some of us wanted to train him to be like us instead. And Lucille was all**…**" Shona gestured with her hands outstretched, apparently emphasising whatever Lucille said. "Noooo, nobody's good enough. It has to be Cali, she's SO much better than the rest of you."

"Actually, I believe she said that you were one of the most experienced," Alyssa clarified, a smile on her face.

"So, she wants me to train Crispin?" Cali asked, just to make sure she understood what Shona had been saying. The response she got was a nod from each, and with that, they all went back into the corridor to find Lucille.

They found her around the next corner, inside what she referred to as 'the study room,' although, to Cali's knowledge, nobody had ever used the room for looking up anything. As the three came to a stop by the open door, each of them just stood and looked at it, listening to the hushed conversation from inside. Shona stood to the right of Cali, arms crossed over her small chest, pointedly staring at her. Cali leaned against the wall, opposite the door, arms also crossed over her chest and staring at the door frame. Alyssa stood to the left of them both, and looked between Cali and the door, a plan forming inside her mind.

Just as Alyssa started to talk, the room went silent. And that was when Shona and Alyssa took it upon themselves to throw open the door, push Cali inside and calmly walk in after her.

**~/~**

The sound of the door thudding open seemed to have startled Crispin. Of course, Lucille was used to her girls barging in wherever and whenever they pleased, so the only difference this time was the people who came through the door. She wasn't shocked to see Cali get flung inside the room with Alyssa and Shona in tow, but she was startled by the expression on Crispin's face. Instant. Attraction. Trained on Cali.

It wasn't that Cali wasn't beautiful, because she was, it was simply that the two must have passed each other many times, and she had never heard Crispin ask about her. As the two glanced at each other from across the room, Lucille felt the need to introduce them all properly. She cleared her throat twice, forcing Crispin and Cali's attention back to her instead of each other, and began the introductions.

"Now, let's make sure we're all well acquainted, shall we?" Shona's eyes betrayed her thoughts. Even the people she didn't know would quite easily see that she was thinking something along the lines of **'**_Mhm, yes perrrr-lease.__**' **_Ignoring that, Lucille continued**,**

"The beautiful blonde on the left is Shona. I'm sure you've heard about her reputation with the young ones." At that, Shona pushed her small chest outwards, hands on her hips, clearly disliking her short introduction.

Lucille nodded towards Alyssa, who smiled and nodded once. "Alyssa, you know. She's one of the best and has been here for years. She'll hopefully be here for years to come, as well." Finally, for the last introduction. Lucille encompassed Cali with a wave of her arm. "The stunning lady in the middle is Cali. She really is one of the best, and she isn't just a pretty face." _A pretty face you're so enthralled with. _"She has many, many skills at your disposal. Use her wisely, she will be your teacher for the time being. As for Crispin, I know that you all know of him well. Now then ladies, let's leave them to it."

That being said, she ushered Alyssa and Shona-who left in an ungraceful surge, stricken expression on her face out of the door and away from the room. Sheshut the door, leaving Cali and Crispin inside, alone.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, guys. I'd love to hear your views on the story so far, whatever they may be.**


End file.
